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The arctic fox raises large litters, with an average 11 pups, in dens that can have as many as 100 entrances. In contrast, my modest house has 3 doors and I often have to text my teenage daughter to find her at dinnertime. How does the Arctic Fox manage to find its little ones in these dens of many doors?

On one hand, I am glad these areas are conserved for nature and visitor experience. On the other hand, the fact that some parks failed to include consultations with Indigenous people was terribly unjust.

In its latest annual report on the state of protected areas in Canada, the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) is calling upon Manitoba to step up efforts to preserve more land by 2020. CPAWS’ 2017 report “From Laggard to Leader? Canada's renewed focus on protecting nature could deliver results” calls Canada out for ranking last among G7 countries in the percentage of land and freshwater protected for conservation purposes, and encourages governments to accelerate the conservation of natural heritage in Canada, starting by delivering on their international commitment.

They have poor eyesight and would barely win a race against a turtle, but porcupines are not defenseless against predators. Their coats include about 30,000 pointy quills; modified hairs which with a flick of the tail, can be dislodged into an enemy’s flesh. During a single encounter, a porcupine may lose hundreds of quills – which can measure up to 12 centimeters long – but can regrow them just like other hairs.

What would you do to attract a mate and make a family? If you’re an American White Pelican, it’s obvious, grow a large bump on your bright orange-yellow beak. The bony protrusion (also called a caruncle) grows on both male and female pelicans and is believed be an ornament to attract an ideal breeding partner.

The boreal provides clean water and oxygen, foods and medicine, stores carbon, mitigates flood impacts, and forms the foundations of many cultural practices. It is a vast region that has long supported people, organisms and landscapes well deserving of both reverence and celebration! It is through careful planning for the future that the integrity of the boreal can continue to be upheld in order to support future generations for another 150 years and onward.

The Manitoba government has announced the creation of two new provincial parks. Goose and Grand Islands provincial parks together are made up of eight islands on Lake Winnipegosis, which were nominated for protection in 2001 by local First Nations based on cultural and wildlife values. The islands have been under interim protection as park reserves since that time.

The land surrounding Fisher Bay is remarkably undisturbed despite its relative short distance from urban, industrial and agricultural development. Every shoreline provides glimpses of the thriving biological diversity found here.

The waters that drain into these areas are sourced from roughly 1.4 million square kilometres of the North American landscape (about twice the size of Alberta), a region that includes concentrated development as well as large areas of intact Boreal forest.